Life Cycle Emissions and Health Cost Impacts of Producing Ethanol and Electricity from Willow and Switchgrass in the Riparian Buffers of Mid-Atlantic United States

Benvenutti, Lívia M. M.; Parish, Esther S.; Busch, Ingrid; Jager, Henriette I.; Hawkins, Troy R.; Masum, Farhad H.

doi:10.1021/acs.est.5c05846

Life Cycle Emissions and Health Cost Impacts of Producing Ethanol and Electricity from Willow and Switchgrass in the Riparian Buffers of Mid-Atlantic United States

Journal Article · Mon Aug 25 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Environmental Science & Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c05846· OSTI ID:2586893

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Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

The United States (US Mid-Atlantic Region (MAR) has the potential to grow a variety of perennial feedstocks such as switchgrass and shrub willow to increase domestic energy production. These cellulosic feedstocks have also shown improved ecosystem services, such as soil carbon sequestration, nitrate leaching reduction, and flood mitigation along rivers and streams as partially harvested riparian buffers. To examine the effects on greenhouse gases (GHGs) and criteria air pollutants (CAPs) from using these feedstocks to produce ethanol or electricity, we conducted a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) and estimated the impact on human health costs when land use is changed from corn production for ethanol. Results indicate up to 54% reduced GHG per hectare from using willow and switchgrass feedstock sources to produce ethanol instead of corn. However, there was a trade-off in terms of CAP emission, as grass-based energy emitted more NO_x and SO_x compared to the corn ethanol pathway, except for SO_X emissions from willow-based electricity. Electricity from cellulosic biomass had higher particulate matter (PM) emission compared to that from corn ethanol. Estimates for health cost to society ranged from $2498 ha^–1 for electricity from switchgrass to a net benefit of $448 ha^–1 for ethanol production from willow, depending on varying biomass yield under different market scenarios. Although using cellulosic feedstocks to produce bioenergy has great potential to reduce GHG emissions, CAP control measures are needed to manage CAP-induced health costs.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357; AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2586893

Journal Information:: Environmental Science & Technology, Journal Name: Environmental Science & Technology Journal Issue: 35 Vol. 59; ISSN 1520-5851; ISSN 0013-936X

Publisher:: American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Life Cycle Emissions and Health Cost Impacts of Producing Ethanol and Electricity from Willow and Switchgrass in the Riparian Buffers of Mid-Atlantic United States

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